A vehicle door typically includes a structural member, a door skin, and a molding. The door skin is a finished sheet of metal that provides the outside surface of the door. Typically, an edge of the door skin is folded back on itself to form a flange. The molding is used to cover the flange and present an ornamental surface (e.g., chrome). Seals and wipers may also be attached to the molding to contact a door window.
During design and manufacture of a vehicle, the dimensions of the flange may need to be adjusted in order to properly contact and mount the molding. For example, the flange may be trimmed to ensure a proper fit of the molding. The inventors of the present application have discovered that a useful measurement of the flange is a dimension between a free edge of the flange and an exterior surface of the door skin. This measurement ensures, among other things, that the exterior surface of the door skin meets manufacturing specifications and proper fit of the molding. This dimension is difficult to measure because the door skin and the flange itself obstruct standard tools (e.g., calipers or micrometers).
In practice, the flange may be measured by using putty to make a mold of the flange. A cross-section of the mold may then be measured to determine the dimension between the free edge of the flange and the exterior surface of the door skin. This process may be time consuming due to the length of time it takes for the putty to harden. A “Go/No-Go” tool may also be used to verify that the dimensions of a flange are acceptable. Such tools, however, must be unique for each flange design and do not provide a measurement that can be used to make corrections because they only provide a correct/incorrect output.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a measurement device for measuring a flange formed by a crease in a sheet of metal. Further advantages will become apparent from the disclosure provided below.